The present invention relates generally to mailing systems and methods. More particularly, the present invention is directed to mailing systems and methods that evidence postage payment using digital postage marks.
The field of communication is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. Communication enables business and economic transactions and fuels global economy. Two basic modes of communication are electronic and hardcopy communications. Well known examples of electronic communication are e-mail (Internet), computer facsimile and digital telephony, while a classic example of hardcopy communication is traditional mail delivery. There are also mixed forms of communication combining hardcopy and electronic modes such as traditional facsimile and hybrid mail. Both electronic and hardcopy communications offers advantages and disadvantages to users. The electronic communications while fast and economical lack universal coverage of traditional mail and create multiple security and legal concerns, particularly in sensitive transaction-type communications. The hardcopy mail is slower and more expensive, but covers a vast majority of the population and offers legal proof that is frequently required in business and social endeavors.
Recently, in the United States of America and other countries new digital methods of payment evidencing for traditional mail has been approved by respective Posts. Specifically, Digital Postage Marks (DPM) (a.k.a. digital indicia, a.k.a. information based indicia) are computerized information printed or otherwise attached to a mail item to provide an evidence of payment to a verification authority (e.g. the United States Postal Service). See for example, PERFORMANCE CRITERIA FOR INFORMATION-BASED INDICIA AND SECURITY ARCHITECTURE FOR OPEN IBI POSTAGE METERING SYSTEMS, dated Apr. 26, 1999, which is an United States Postal Service specification that defines the requirements for a system which uses a general purpose computer for printing information-based indicia in a 2-Dimensional barcode. When the majority of the information in the DPM is presented in the form of a 2-Dimensional barcode (such as DataMatrix or PDF417), the DPM can carry a very substantial amount of information that can be automatically and economically computerized, printed and later scanned using conventional computer-driven scanners. The nature of this information has been application dependent and has typically been oriented toward security features for verification of payment evidence. This type of information, generally referred to as postal data, preferably includes identification of the metering device (or licensee) responsible for the payment, unique identification of mail item, value of various accounting registers, location of the mail deposit/mailer""s account, postage value and other similar information. Such information is typically protected by a cryptographically generated validation code known as CPVC (Cryptographic Postage Validation Code). Another way to protect DPM is by supplying the verification authority with the value of the validation code (Postage validation Code or PVC) prior to mail submission as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,889, assigned to the assignee of this application.
One commonly recognized general purpose of sending a mail item is to solicit a reply message from a recipient or service provider. Such reply message may be a response to the message contained in the mail item or a service type message having to do with the fact of sending and/or delivering and/or receiving the mail item by either the mail recipient or the service provider or both. The situation when confirmation of mail acceptance and/or delivery is required is particularly common and normally addressed by certified, registered or insured mail. These types of mail are traditionally organized around a physical proof of acceptance and delivery, such as a physical receipt, which is signed by the service provider""s clerks and/or the mail recipient and physically delivered to the mail originator (mailer). The postal services incur considerable cost for such value-added service, and the mailer is charged a fee that is significant in comparison to the cost of regular delivery of the mail item. For example, when a mailer requests a return receipt, the recipient of the mail signs a card stating that the mail has been received. This card is physically delivered back to the original mailer as acknowledgement of mail receipt from the recipient.
Such physical proofs of acceptance and delivery are economically inefficient and time-consuming. Most, if not all, of such methods require separate, essentially manual, handling of special services mail which is orders of magnitude more expensive than automated mail processing based on machine readability of information present on mail items.
As of 1998, almost 20% of the population in USA and industrial world in general have access to electronic mail via Internet. Even a higher number of mailers use facsimile regularly. These numbers are expected to grow dramatically in the future. Although such electronic communications provide speed and efficiency over the physical delivery of mail, there is no indication that such electronic communications will replace the physical delivery of mail. Heretofore, such electronic communications have been an alternative form of communication to the physical delivery of mail. The present invention provides an effective communication system that links the physical delivery of mail with electronic communications to optimize communications utilization of the advantages of each.
In accordance with the present invention, the machine-readable DPM provides a means to overcome the aforementioned difficulties at least for a considerable portion of mail stream. It has been found that the digital data in the DPM may include information that can be used for other than security and postage payment verification. For example, by including a mailer""s e-mail address in the DPM, the present invention provides an opportunity to send a e-mail return receipt, which eliminates the need for a return receipt being physically delivered to the mailer. Thus, the postal service saves on the mail cost by adding this attribute to the DPM and the savings can be passed along to the mailer.
The present invention realizes that the new digital methods of payment evidencing offer unprecedented opportunities not only to improve postal revenue collection and protection but also to create new user friendly services that can greatly improve the appeal of traditional mail. Transition to digital methods of payment evidencing in fact offers an information-rich interface between mailers, posts and mail recipients that can substantially amplify advantages and features of traditional mail while simultaneously alleviating its disadvantages, such as its relatively high cost. Paradoxically, this information-rich interface can be achieved by integrating traditional hardcopy and electronic communication into one effective communication system that takes advantage of beneficial features of both media and offering end users (i.e. rate paying public) a broad selection of communication choices.
In accordance with the present invention, the DPM is treated as a message that is sent by a mailer to a service provider (carrier or Post), mail item recipient and any third party interested in the information encoded in the DPM (such as for example, a legal authority). In this regard, the DPM message can support any specific application of communication.
The present invention provides for the integration of electronic communication information, such as an e-mail address or a telephone, facsimile or pager number, into a conventional DPM. This allows the automatic creation and forwarding of service messages (such as delivery confirmation) to the mailer (or other intended recipient of the electronic communication) in a more expeditious and effective manner. Essentially, any information about a mail item known to the carrier can be forwarded to the mailer (or other intended recipient) through an alternative electronic communication channel. This concept can be extended even to the mail item communication message, which unlike DPM is hidden from the carrier. In particular, a digest of a mail item communication message (e.g. hash value) can be included into DPM as an evidence of the nature of delivered message. Through use of well-known security techniques, such as cryptography, the present invention deals effectively with issues of confidentiality, message integrity, authentication and non-repudiation. These and other aspects of the present invention are covered in the detailed description of the invention.
In accordance with the present invention, system and method for providing confirmation relating to the distribution of a mailpiece within a mailing system includes a determination of postal data required for postage evidencing of a mailpiece originated by a mailer. The postal data is combined with other data related to value-added services desired for the mailpiece. The value-added services data includes addressing information for a return receipt to the mailer. A digital postmark which includes the postal data and the value-added services data is created. At delivery of the mailpiece, the digital postmark is read and the value-added services data is captured from the read digital postmark. A confirmation message is sent to the mailer and/or other interested third parties, in accordance with information contained in the value-added services data.
Therefore, it is now apparent that the present invention substantially overcomes the disadvantages associated with the prior art. Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description, which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.